Chicken-Fried Pork Chops

Chef Jonathon Sawyer of Cleveland’s Greenhouse Tavern believes that you can chicken-fry lots of things, like these pork chops: He dips boneless chops in a buttermilk mixture, dredges them in seasoned flour, then fries them until they’re crisp and juicy.
Slideshow: More Pork Recipes

Recipe from Food & Wine Chefs' Easy Weeknight Dinners.

Ingredients

3 bay leaves, finely crushed

1 tablespoon sweet paprika

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Salt

4 boneless 1-inch-thick pork chops

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups buttermilk

2 tablespoons malt vinegar

2 tablespoons sambal oelek or other Asian chile sauce

1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce

1 cup vegetable oil

How to Make It

Step 1

In a wide, shallow bowl, combine the crushed bay leaves with the paprika, sugar, pepper, oregano and 1 tablespoon of salt. Generously season the pork chops with the spice mix and transfer them to a plate. Stir the flour into the remaining spice mix.

Step 2

In another wide, shallow bowl, whisk the buttermilk with the vinegar, sambaland fish sauce. Dip the seasoned pork chops in the buttermilk mixture, allowing the excess to drip back into the bowl, then dredge them in the flour mixture, pressing to help it adhere.

Step 3

In a large cast-iron skillet, heat the vegetable oil until shimmering. Working in 2 batches, fry the chops over moderate heat, turning once, until golden and crispy, about 3 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels and season lightly with salt.